BrentToderian

BrentToderian, 10 months ago to random

Complete this sentence: “Cities would be a lot better for everyone if we could just ______________________________.”

BrentToderian, 11 months ago to Finland

This is REALLY important.

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment and counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”
Let that sink in. It costs less than accepting homelessness.
#Finland #Helsinki #homeless #cities #homes
https://scoop.me/housing-first-finland-homelessness/

BrentToderian, 10 months ago to random

A typical European car is parked 92% of the time. It spends 1/5th of its driving time looking for parking. Its 5 seats only move 1.5 people. 86% of its fuel never reaches the wheels, & most of the energy that does, moves the car, not people.

Sound efficient?

HT @circulareconomy

BrentToderian, 8 months ago to random

Looks dumb, right?

This is how we design many cities.

#CarDependency

BrentToderian, 9 months ago to random

This video camera study showed that less than 5% of people on bikes break traffic laws while riding, yet 66% of people do so when driving. And if you REALLY want even MORE bike-riders to obey laws, build more protected bike infrastructure. Via @CarltonReid
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2019/05/10/cyclists-break-far-fewer-road-rules-than-motorists-finds-new-video-study/

BrentToderian, 7 months ago to random

The Dutch invest €595 million annually on urban biking, resulting in €19 BILLION saved in public health care costs alone. That’s how smart govts do the math on investing in better mobility.

Let’s be clear — it wastes public money to NOT do it.

#CityMakingMath HT @modacitylife

BrentToderian, 2 months ago to random

QUESTION: If you could sent your city’s mayor, council and senior staff on a study trip to any TWO cities in the world to be inspired and educated on better city-building, which two cities would you choose and why? At least one of your two cities has to be a “less obvious” choice!

BrentToderian, 9 months ago to random

This will be the nuclear moment for twitter. Every previous awful decision has been leading to this.

BrentToderian, 11 months ago to TeslaMotors

It’s still a BIG problem that because of car manufacturing influence, most media & political energy goes to EVs, with not NEARLY enough going to fewer cars/less driving. But the priority HAS to be the latter, the part of the solution that will actually do much more public good. #EV #ElectricVehicles #cars #cities

BrentToderian, 5 months ago to random

IMPORTANT: This ranks a bunch of ways we get around cities, using average carbon emissions by transport type in grams per pkm. It breaks emissions down by operation, manufacture etc.

Feet and bikes win. Lots of ways beat electric cars, and everything beats gas cars.

HT @Copenhenken

BrentToderian, 5 months ago to random

“Compared to self-driving cars, and just about any other mobility mode, e-bikes have flourished…If 2023’s trendline continues, the humble e-bike, not the flashy self-driving car, will be poised to reconfigure American transportation.” — @DavidZipper in @FastCompany
https://www.fastcompany.com/90994141/why-2023-was-the-year-of-the-e-bike-and-not-the-self-driving-car

BrentToderian, 5 months ago to random

Does your city REALLY want to attract & keep families living in your downtown & urban places? Then your city needs to get real about what it will really take.

These are the 3 KEYS, in THIS ORDER:

1. ensure family-sized homes (2-3 bedrooms)
2. build local daycare, schools & supports
3. design places & streets for kids

BrentToderian, 4 months ago to random

BREAKING: Paris voters just won referendum 55% to TRIPLE parking charges for SUVs!

“We’re doing this to reduce pollution & to make our children safer because these cars are dangerous. Paris is transforming itself to allow people to breathe & live better.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/paris-residents-set-to-vote-on-plan-to-triple-parking-charges-for-suvs

BrentToderian, 10 months ago to Amsterdam

Remember this picture every single time you hear someone in your city say "we're not Amsterdam."

This was #Amsterdam in the 1970s, via @fietsprofessor.

The cities we admire made better choices regarding cars, and are still making them today.

Better choices instead of excuses.

#Dutch #cities #cars #bikes #streets

BrentToderian, 2 months ago to random

“Better” cars just isn’t enough. As I put it recently in my advice to Irish cities, “Your goal SHOULDN’T be to replace a million fossil fuel vehicles with a million electric vehicles. It should be to replace a million fossil fuel vehicles with 250K electric vehicles. The answer HAS to be FEWER cars."

BrentToderian, 6 months ago to random

This is amazing, and frustrating. The City of Barcelona eliminated 3 lanes of vehicle traffic & converted this street into a 4.7km green pedestrian corridor in the heart of the Eixample grid. Businesses sued, and eventually won in court. Then the businesses admitted they like it. https://citylabbcn.org/the-legal-attack-on-superblock-barcelona/

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BrentToderian, 1 year ago to science

"Public investment" vs "Wasteful Subsidy." The only problem with this clever classic Singer cartoon is that some people might not get that it’s illustrating the perception problem, NOT telling the truth.

Just in case it actually needs to be said, the truth is exactly the opposite.

#PublicTransit #cities #cars #urbanism #math

BrentToderian, 7 months ago to random

The “E-Bike Effect:” Those who bought e-bikes increased their average daily bicycle use from 2.1km (1.3 miles) to 9.2km (5.7 miles), a 340% increase. The e-bike share of all their transportation increased dramatically too; from 17% to 49%. Via @Treehugger
https://www.treehugger.com/e-bikers-ride-much-farther-and-more-frequently-than-regula-bikers-5076231

BrentToderian, 9 months ago to random

“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath
https://www.fastcompany.com/3062989/50-reasons-why-everyone-should-want-more-walkable-streets

BrentToderian, 3 months ago to random

“Believe it or not, electric bikes offer more exercise than pedal bikes on average. That fact might sound strange, but the science is clear.”

Why electric bikes actually give more exercise than pedal bikes.
https://electrek.co/2024/02/20/why-electric-bikes-give-more-exercise/

BrentToderian, 8 months ago to random

Never forget that when Seoul, Korea removed the Cheonggyecheon expressway in 2003 and replaced it with a restored stream, 1000 acre park and improved transit, not only did it transform the city’s public life & economic success, but the traffic got better.

The traffic got BETTER.

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BrentToderian, 7 months ago to random

The most cynical thing about this kind of manipulative political tactic is that it pretends that cars haven’t been powerfully prioritized since the 1960s, and still are today. Relatively minor attempts to bring things closer to balance and provide more choice are framed as “anti-motorist.” As anyone who actually understands how cities work knows, this approach will hurt everyone, including drivers.

BrentToderian, 7 months ago to random

The busy bank of the Seine in Paris. This used to be space for cars, now for several years it’s been a special place for people. All it took was leadership. Oh, and fighting and winning a court battle when that leadership was challenged. HT @EmmanuelSPV for pic.

BrentToderian, 10 months ago to random

This will always be one of my single most important messages when it comes to actually realizing better cities. Please remember it every single time someone claims there’s a “war on drivers.” There isn’t. There’s just better or worse cities for EVERYONE.

BrentToderian, 2 months ago to random

READ: “3,337 Parisians were equipped with GPS trackers to record their journeys…for journeys from the outskirts of Paris to the center, the number of cyclists now far exceeds the number of motorists, a huge change from just 5 years ago.” Via @carltonreid
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2024/04/06/french-revolution-cyclists-now-outnumber-motorists-in-paris/